


Framed

by Lovepercy21



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Angst, Betrayal, F/M, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-13
Updated: 2017-01-13
Packaged: 2018-09-17 07:11:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,421
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9311015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lovepercy21/pseuds/Lovepercy21
Summary: Percy is framed for a crime that merits banishment to Tartarus. Will his friends find proof of his innocence? If so, will he be the same if he returns from the darkest pits of the Underworld?





	1. Chapter 1

Percy's Pov

'Look, believe what you want, but I didn't do it!' I exclaimed

'Perseus Jackson, we have definitive proof that it was you that killed her' said a very angry looking Zeus.

It was Friday and the whole camp was there in the throne room, some had enraged expression and some had confused expressions. Zeus had summoned them all here right after lunch.

'Why would I kill her!?'

Seriously I'm beginning to think he has officially lost it! I mean, I wouldn't do that to Annabeth, after all Jessica was her half-sister and they loved each other.

'I-' I started saying, but was interrupted by Zeus.

'Enough! We have proof against you; the bow that was used to kill her was found inside your cabin and Athena says that she saw you killing her daughter.' Zeus thundered.

I was taken aback. I knew that she didn't like me, but I didn't think she would stoop so low as to falsely accuse me of killing someone.

'Your punishment shall be Tartarus. I say we vote. All gods in favor?' He looked at all the hands that went up and all the ones that stayed down. 'And all the demigods?'

The whole majority of campers put their hands up, all of my so called friends, even my girlfriend. The only ones who remained with their hands clenched in fury at their sides were Thalia, Nico, Grover and a few others of my friends.

I looked at Annabeth with hurt and betrayel evident in my eyes, but all she did was stare blankly back at me. How could she believe them? She of all people should believe that I was innocent.

' Percy Jackson I banish you to Tartarus. Hades you will take him there.' He said, making the mater final.

'No. Have one of the gods who voted yes do it, I won't. Besides you are accusing him with something that he couldn't possibly have done, I mean the boy can barely shoot straight.' Exclaimed Hades

'Well it is obvious that he has been practicing and got very lucky when he did it.' snapped Zeus

I looked at my father with pleading eyes. Maybe he could make his brother see sense.

'Brother please, Percy is innocent. He-'Poseidon started to say, but was interrupted by Athena.

'Poseidon, it's final. Percy will be sent to Tartarus and I will take him myself' Athena was obviously getting impatient.

'So be it. Athena would you please do the honors?' asked Zeus

'My pleasure.' She grinned with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

And with that she appeared at by side, grabbed hold of my upper arm and before I could utter a word, we were gone in a puff of smoke.

Thalia's Pov

I watched with silent tears in my eyes as Percy disappeared before my very eyes and I couldn't do anything about it.

I can't believe the nerve that daughter of Athens has! He was her boyfriend for Zeus' sake! I thought of her as my best friend, almost family, but now I don't know what to think of her. My tears dried up and instead of sorrow I was filled with anger. My body started shaking and I was about to lunge at her, but before I could Nico grabbed hold of my arm.

' She's not worth it.' he whispered.

I huffed but didn't argue because he was probably right she was not worth the trouble.


	2. Chapter 2

Percy's Pov

It's been a week since I first arrived in Tartarus. My body was already covered with bruises and cuts, and I am positive I have some broken bones. Guess who did this to me? Well, see, when Athena brought me here she confessed that it was she that killed her own daughter, just so she could put the blame on me. But afterwards she left me here. So since then Kronos and his cronies have been torturing me for fun.

Tartarus isn't a very cheerful place, as I'm sure you can imagine. It was hotter than the fields of punishment and it reeks of monster sweat and spit. For once I wished Aphrodite were her, just so her aroma could replace the stink.

Just then I heard footsteps coming this way and I know what will follow…

-(Time skip- one month)-

Thalia's Pov

I can't believe it has already been a month since Percy was sent to Tartarus. I've been with the hunt and Nico has been in the underworld, both of us avoiding camp because it was filled with traitors, except for a few that also didn't put their hands up that day.  
We were camped in a clearing near the border of Canada, when I heard someone calling my name. I looked up from where we were sitting around the fire to see if it was one of the hunters, but no one was paying attention to me, so I was about to go back to eating my marshmallow, when I heard it again coming from the shadows near the edge of camp. I squinted my eyes and saw the son of Hades motioning with his hand for me to follow him into the forest. I got up, excused myself and went around the other way as to not attract suspicion. When I arrived Nico was leaning against the tree.  
'Hey Death Breath.'I said  
He nodded his head at me.  
'Pinecone Face.' Ugh! I hate it when he calls me that, but I guess fair is fair.  
'Why are you here? I thought you were under house arrest.'  
He snorted.  
'I snuck out and besides it's more like palace arrest. Persephone must really hate my guts because I only got palace arrest because I stepped on one of her 'precious' flowers by accident, but she's convinced that I did it on purpose.' he said acidly. 'Anyways I came here because I think we should do something about Percy. We know he's innocent, but Athena has obviously got Zeus convinced that it was Percy that killed her daughter.'  
'But how are we going to convince Zeus that Percy's innocent? I don't know if you remember, but we already tried like 3 times and all he did was say that until we got definitive proof that he is innocent, then he won't do anything about it.' I exclaimed  
'Exactly. He said we needed proof right? So what if we did have proof?' he asked with a mischievous glint in his eyes  
'What are you saying? We don't have any proof...' He was shaking his head and smiling as I said this.  
'You might not, but I do. You know Iris right? She is one of the goddesses who actually likes Percy and feels some sympathy towards him when. When she found out he was going to Tartarus, she went there immediately to see if what they said against him was actually true, but when she got there she saw Athena talking to Percy, who btw was tied to a table, and she heard her say that it was her that killed her own daughter just so she could put the blame on Percy. She IM me this information last week and since then I've been trying to sneak out of the underworld without my father or Persephone catching me.' He explained to me. My expression throughout his speech went from surprise to fury to surprise again.

Nico's Pov

Thalia's expression was priceless as I told her what Iris told me.  
'So now all we have to do is get Iris to show that conversation on Olympus and hopefully Zeus will listen to reason and let Percy out. Oh and we also need those campers who voted Percy innocent so that hopefully Zeus will see that we have backup.' I concluded my speech.  
'Why are you here telling this to me and not asking Iris if she can show that conversation on Olympus?!' she whispered-yelled at me.  
'Because I need you to help and get the campers who are still convinced that Percy is innocent.' I said  
'Oh... Ok then. I'll get the campers and you convince Iris to help us.' she said, immediately taking control of the mission.  
'What about Artemis and the hunters? Will she let you go?' I asked, suddenly aware that I might not have thought this through. She bit her lip.  
'Well... maybe if I tell her-' I interrupted her hurriedly.  
'You can't tell her or the hunters about this, at least not until I convince Iris. Besides one of them might accidentally let it slip and then Athena might hear about and she'll try to stop us from showing that little conversation she had with Percy on Olympus.'  
'Fine, but than what do I tell them? I can't just say: 'Hey girls I'm leaving to go do some errands and I'll probably be back tomorrow so if Artemis asks...well tell her what I told you'.'  
'Just tell them you are going on a mission that is very important, but that you won't be able to tell them until it is done.'  
'Ok. I'll go tell them that and get my stuff, and I'll meet you here in 10 minutes.'

Page Break -

Percy's Pov

I was in the throne room in Olympus and Zeus was asking the demigods to put their hands up if they believed that I was guilty. Everyone had their hands up, but they didn't matter because I was looking for a specific someone in the crowd and there she was right in the front. I expected to see her hand at her side, but instead her hand was right there in the air just like the rest of them.  
'Annabeth! You can't possibly believe what they are saying?'  
'I do Percy and I hope you rot in Tartarus.' she said with venom in her voice.  
My heart shattered into a million pieces and it would probably never be whole again. Those words were the words I would never forget.  
'But...I didn't do it! I'm being framed!" I said exasperated  
'You can't lie to me Percy. Just admit that you killed my sister and get it over with, no use lying, you're going to Tartarus anyway.' She said with a sneer.

I woke up with a bang. I looked up to see Kronos.

'So Jackson, had pleasant dreams? I know I did and thanks to you I now live my dreams. Want to take a guess of what I dream about?'  
'I don't know maybe rainbows?' curse my ADHD.  
Kronos had an enraged expression.  
'No and for that you get another round of lashes with the whip today. Well let's see... yesterday it had spikes... so how about a red- hot one today, eh? What do you think? Oh wait! You don't have a choice in the matter.' he sneered.  
My back was crisscrossed with the cuts the whip left behind and it was hurting like hell.  
'Why can't you just use pillows? That wouldn't hurt so much and it would be just like a sleep over, minus the comfortable bed and the DVDs.'  
'What did I say about talking back?' Kronos shouted.  
And with that he started with the whipping.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic was written in 2013 and I haven't revised the first few chapters as far as sentence structure and running of the story goes, it improves after chapter 4. Leave some love and review/comment!
> 
> Peace out!!


	3. Chapter 3

Annabeth's Pov

I was practicing archery when I saw her. I hadn't seen her since the day he was banished. My best friend; well at least I still considered her my best friend I don't know if she also feels the same way, after all I did vote for her cousin to be banished and even though they bickered and fought a lot, she still loved him and Nico dearly. They were the only family she has left and she is super protective of them.

So I dropped my bow and jogged over to her. She was in her hunters outfit and was just coming out of the woods with a determined look on her face.

"Hey Thals!" I said with a smile on my face.

She looked at me and said with ice in her voice:

" What is it daughter of Athena?"

I was taken aback. Since when did she talk to me with such coldness?

"I-I wanted to ask how you've been...we haven't seen each other in a l-long t-time..." I stuttered.

"Well aside from the fact that my brother in everything but blood was sent to hell, I'm fine." her tone was dripping with sarcasm. "So, know if you'll excuse me, I have something important to do." she turned and walked away in the direction of the cabins. I was downcast; I had just lost my best friend. But I didn't regret the decision I made in Olympus that day. Not even a little.

Thalia's Pov

After my encounter with that little traitor daughter of Athena, I set out to do what I came here to do and that was to gather all the demigods who hadn't betrayed Percy.

I finished gathering them all and explained to them what Nico and I had in mind. They all agreed to go so I told them to follow me into the woods but only one or two at a time, so as to not attract suspicions. Nico was waiting for us with good news.

"Iris said she would show the conversation on Olympus and for us to meet her there in about 15 min. I can shadow-travel us all to the entrance to the empire state building, but I will be very weak after that. "he said.

I hate shadow-traveling, it always makes me nauseous, but it was the fastest way to get to Olympus, so before I could lose my nerve I said:

"Ok, so let's go" I said and grabbed hold of Nico's arm. The rest of them did the same and we all stepped into the shadows.

We arrived right on the corner of the street that leads to the empire state building. As soon as we got there Nico collapsed. I got out a square of ambrosia and fed it to him. He sat up rubbing his eyes and yawning.

"Right so now-" he yawned hugely and continued." We go up and up until we reach the fluffy clouds." At that we all burst out laughing, except for Nico who had a very hurt look on his face.

" Hey I'm tired ok and besides we have more important stuff to do then goofing around." At that we all sobered up. I helped him up and we made our way to the empire state building front desk.

" Key to the 600th floor."

"No such floor kid." replied the doorman.

"NOW!" I was so angry that my skin was tingling with electricity. The doorman's eyes widened in fear. I guess he realized that we were demigods because his eyes were flickering between all our weapons and the sparks that were shooting out of my skin.

"Uh…y-yeah, h-here it is." He handed me the key with trembling hands.

"Come one, let's go."

We all filled into the elevator and the doors closed. Once we got to Olympus we marched up to the throne room and burst through the doors. All the gods were assembled and apparently, arguing( why am I not surprised?).

My father, who was arguing with Poseidon, stopped mid-sentence when he saw us.

"What is the meaning of this?" he thundered.

"Well, father we are here to once again try to convince you to let Percy out of Tartarus."

"I already told you! I will only release him when you have definitive proof-" I stopped him before he could continue.

"Exactly. We've got proof, now all we need is for you to let him go." The look on my father's face was priceless. It was a mixture of disbelief and suspicion.

"What is this so called proof?"

"Nico, would you care to explain?"

Nico grinned at me and took a step forward.

"My pleasure." He addressed the gods. "You see I had a little conversation with Iris and she told me some interesting things about Athena here." When he said Athena, he gestured towards her.

"And what might that be?" Athena spat.

"Well, let her show you."

Iris who had sneaked into the throne room and was hiding behind a pillar waiting to be called, looked at Nico and nodded, coming out from her hiding place.

"Yes, indeed, let me show you what I heard in Tartarus."

With that she waved her hand and an image appeared in the middle of the throne room so that every god and goddess could see. On the screen was Athena, talking to a tied up Percy. She replayed the conversation twice, just so that the fact that Athena had framed Percy could sink in.

As soon as the image dissolved, the council broke into utter uproar. Poseidon, Apollo, Hermes, Aphrodite, Artemis and Zeus were shouting at Athena, and vice-versa.

"How could you? Are you that cold-blooded? Sending my son to Tartarus just because you don't like him dating your daughter?! And framing him for murder?!" Poseidon shouted.

"Your good for nothing son deserved it! I warned him that I did not approve of them together, yet he didn't listen!" Athena screeched.

"Hey! Enough! You can all argue with each other later! Right now all I want is for Zeus to free Percy." I yelled at them. They all glared at me for interrupting their argument, but they all sat back down on their thrones. I looked at my father.

"So? What are you waiting for? Release him!"

"If only it were that simple." He sighed and continued. "I cannot release him yet. The ancient laws of Tartarus forbid it. The best I can do is shorten his time there so instead of eternity I'll make it one year so that next year on January he can be released and I'll make it so that he can't die."

At that I was filled with such sorrow, that I was fighting hard not to let the tears spill and as I looked to the side, I could see that Nico was also fighting back tears. Our cousin was going to stay in hell until next year and there was absolutely nothing we could do about it.

"Thank you, I guess." At that I turned to leave, but before I could a voice stopped me.

"Thank you Thalia and you Nico, for proving my son innocent. Know that he means a lot to me and I know that he means a lot to both of you." It was Poseidon who spoke.

I just nodded still with my back turned to him. I just kept walking, making a beeline for the elevator not seeing if the rest followed. I got in and saw that Nico and the others were right behind me. The ride down was silent and I was thankful for that, I couldn't stand if they started asking me if I was ok, because I was obviously not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!! Leave some love!
> 
> Peace out!!


	4. Chapter 4

Thalia's Pov

The days to January went by agonizingly slow. The camp was informed of Percy's innocence by Zeus himself and now all of those who voted for him to be banished were feeling guilty and those who had remained loyal had low spirits.

Now there was only one week to go and I was starting to get excited. I was going to see my cousin again! After all he and Nico were the only family I have left. Of course there was a bad part to our encounter… what if he was wounded? Sure Zeus had made it so he couldn't die, but he could still be injured and as soon as he leaves Tartarus, he won't be immortal anymore so he could die if he had wounds that were fatal. No, I refuse to think like that, I can't think like that. I have to think that he will be alright even though I know he won't be.

Percy's Pov

Almost a year has passed and I am still in Tartarus. Being tortured by my enemies physically and being tortured by my friend's betrayal mentally. The only thing that kept me half sane was the thought that someday I would be pulled out of this hellhole.

I was snapped out of my thoughts when Kronos started speaking again.

"You know, I heard from one of my spies that the gods are planning on releasing you at the end of this week." At that I looked up.

"You're lying! This is just another one of your tricks!" I spat.

"No I swear on the river styx it's true." Kronos said. Thunder rumbled in the distance.

So it was true they were going to get me out! I've waited so long for this, even though I despise most of the campers back at Camp Half-Blood, especially my ex-girlfriend, there were still people there that I thought of as family, like Nico and Thalia, and close friends, like Grover and the ones who voted me innocent.

"But I didn't say I would let you go now did I?" Kronos sneared.

"You won't have a choice you idiot. They will probably get me out of here without you noticing!" I yelled at him. That was probably a mistake, but I had had enough of this guy! Sure I wasn't in any position to do that seeing as I was tied with chains to a wall, severely injured might I add, with Kronos standing with a very sharp blade in front of me, but I had ADHD so I couldn't help it and now Kronos was looking at me with murder in his eyes.

"What did you say to me you puny demigod?" He snarled

I know I should've kept my mouth shut but my ADHD was acting up again.

"You heard me!" I said with a pained grin, because even that sent pain flaring up.

"I think that we should make your last week here special don't you think boys?" He asked his monster army. They all cheered and yelled asking for blood. Seriously hadn't they seen enough blood? I know I have and the worst part is: the blood was all mine.

Time skip: One Week

Thalia's POV

I was heading to my pine tree with Nico by my side when suddenly 12 bright flashes where seen at the top. When the lights died down, the 12 Olympians were standing there and I mean all of them, even Mr. D.

Zeus had an annoyed expression, Poseidon was glaring at his brother and so was Apollo, Hermes, Aphrodite and Artemis. The rest looked either bored or as if this were the last thing they wanted to be doing.

"Attention demigods!" Zeus boomed, his voice echoing through the whole camp. "We are here to announce that Perseus Jackson has been released and is being escorted here by Hades and Hestia. I suggest that you all welcome him because he might be a bit resentful that you lot voted for him to go to Tartarus except for a select few."

"We banished him? We?! What of those on the Olympian counsel? Did they not banish him as well? Are you trying to put the blame on us now father?!" I yelled at him. The campers were looking at me like I was crazy for yelling at the king of the gods. Well I don't give a damn! He has a right to hear it! He was the one responsible for Percy's banishment, him and that pathetic excuse for a goddess of wisdom!

Poseidon was looked at me with an amused expression, than he proceeded to glaring at his brother again.

"She does have a point Zeus. The campers weren't the only ones who voted for my son to be banished and you have no right to put the blame only on them. You should take responsibility for your actions." Poseidon lectured Zeus.

My father was looking angrier by the minute but he seemed to control his rage as he saw that what his brother was saying was indeed right even though it pained him to admit it. He looked at me and huffed.

"Fine. I suppose some of us are indeed to blame." He said through gritted teeth. "But onto the matter at hand. Hades and Hestia will be arriving shortly along with Perseus and the gods who wish to stay will stay and the rest will return with me to Olympus."

"Why aren't all of you staying?" asked one of the campers that were gathered around the Olympians.

"Because I don't think he will be very happy with us right now so I'll just let him be with the ones he actually likes and then later on we shall summon him to Olympus." He turned to me. "Thalia, my daughter, I need you to tell Perseus that we are expecting him on Olympus in two days' time and that we are…ugh…*cough* Sorry *cough*." He muttered the last part but I still heard him and to say I was stunned was an understatement. The almighty Zeus actually apologizing for something.

"Ok." I shrugged. With that Zeus, along with Athena, Hera, Ares and Mr.D, flashed out.

Hades' Pov (Bet ya didn't expect that one!)

Hestia and I had gone to Tartarus to get my nephew back. I admit I missed him and I care for him, he is my favorite nephew after all. When we retrieved him, what we saw made us gasp in shock. Percy's body was filled with scars', cuts, burns and some weird carving in a language none of us understood, but the worst of all was his back, which was covered with lashes of all sizes and depths. Once he appeared and we got a good look at him he collapsed and both of us rushed forward to catch him.

Page break-

Thalia's Pov

By now almost the whole camp was gathered at my pine tree along with the gods who decided to stay. I admit I was surprised that Lady Artemis stayed behind along with Poseidon, Apollo, Hermes and Aphrodite. But in the time I've been with the hunters I've grown closer to her and I've come to know that Percy had earned her respect after he held up the sky for her.

I was pulled out of my musings when I saw that Hermes flashed out. What could it be? Maybe he was called away on duty, but just then he flashed back and made an announcement that sent my heart reeling with joy and pain.

"Percy will be arriving shortly, but I must warn you: he is not the same." He said solemnly.

We waited for 5…10…15 minutes until finally I saw him coming out of the woods with Hestia and Hades by his side. His raven black hair as messy as ever, but his beautiful sea-green eyes, although still the same color, was filled with pain, suffering, resentment and even some anger. All I wanted to do was take off running down the hill and embrace him, but Nico held me back. I glared at him. Doesn't he want to see our cousin as well? My eyes softened when I saw that his expression mirrored mine: pain at seeing our cousin so different, but joy at seeing him alive.

When Percy finally reached us, he looked at all of us before his eyes rested on Nico and I. His eyes softened considerably and I couldn't take it anymore, I rushed to him and gave him a hug. He winced and I stepped back.

"Percy, are you okay? Did I hurt you?" I asked concerned.

"I'm fine, you just stepped on my toes is all." He said. I wasn't very convinced but I shrugged and hugged him again and this time he returned it. Nico was next; he gave Percy a manly hug and grinned, a grin that Percy returned.

"Son." Poseidon said with sadness in his voice, thinking that his son didn't care for him anymore.

Percy looked at his father and opened his arms for a hug, which Poseidon gladly gave his son.

"Son, I'm so sorry-"

"Dad I know you did all you could. I don't blame you or the rest of you." When he said that last part, he directed his words to the other Olympians who were standing in the sidelines with guilty expressions that turned into happy ones when he said that, along with Poseidon.

"So this is the famous Percy Jackson. You look like a weed; I bet I could beat you in a fight with my eyes closed! There is nothing special about you! I am obviously a way better hero than you and I don't get why they are making all this fuss over you!" Someone shouted from the front of the crowd. I turned to see who it was so that I could give them an arrow in a place that even Apollo don't shine to see that it was none other than the new camper and son of the war god, Adrian. Just because he killed a hellhound when he got to camp he thinks he is all high and mighty and the worst part is, some of the campers actually believe him and worship him. Even Anabeth fell for it and was now dating him, but I didn't expect more from her since the day she voted for Percy's banishment. The rest who actually saw him for the jerk he was despised him; even his father hated his guts.

I was about to notch my arrow when Poseidon beat me to it and punched him in the face and sent him flying and crashing into a tree.

"How dare you speak like that of my son?" He bellowed.

He was about to hurl his trident at Adrian and effectively kill him when Percy stopped him.

"Dad he isn't worth it." Poseidon looked at his son who nodded.

"Fine." He huffed "But if he ever does that again-"

"I'll be sure to kick his ass. Don't worry; I can take care of him myself." Percy said with a tired grin.

I could see that Percy's body was starting to sag and the expression in his eyes clearly said that he was tired so I said:

"Percy you need to rest. Tomorrow we can talk more."

He looked at me gratefully.

"Okay then." He started walking down towards the cabins, but I noticed something: he was limping and in pain. He was trying to hide it but I could clearly see it. Seeing him limping and in pain brought back my earlier thoughts: To what extents is he injured?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Leave some love!
> 
> Peace out!!


	5. Chapter 5

Percy's Pov

Once I arrived at my cabin, I made a beeline straight towards my bunk and collapsed onto it. That immediately made searing pain flare up in my whole body, which immediately made me curse myself for forgetting that although I left Tartarus, it had definitely not left me. The pain was excruciating. I could feel every wound inflicted on my body, every pull of a scar, every bone that didn't heal correctly after being broken several times. I was extremely glad that when Hades rescued me, he had had the insight to at least give me clothes that weren't torn beyond repair and dirty, also long enough to cover up the majority of my wounds.

I heaved a sigh as I realized that I should probably get up and try to wrap and treat all the wounds that I could reach, and at least see the extent of the ones I couldn't. The memories of my time down there kept pushing at my consciousness, trying to get at me. That would have to wait until I sorted myself out properly.

As I pushed myself off the bed a sudden dizziness overcame me and I collapsed to the floor.

"Fuck!" I said. That hurt so bad, it isn't even funny. I attempted to get to my feet once more and this time I succeeded. I shuffled over to my amble bathroom and rooted through the cupboards underneath the sink for the medical kit I knew I had stashed there a long time ago.

"Aha!" Found it right where I left it, completely untouched by anyone. Guess they had the common sense to not go through my stuff at least.

I took all my clothes off with the exception of my underwear and turned towards my mirror to admire the damage done to me by none other than Kronos himself, plus a few dozen other titans and monsters trapped down there. I looked horrible. There was not an inch of my body that didn't have either a scar or a fresh wound made only a few hours ago. My torso was filled with burn marks, knife wounds, whip lashes and a couple of other things, including some writing in Greek which made it so my wounds couldn't be healed with ambrosia or my water powers. Meaning I would have long months ahead of me before I was healed up.

I gently started cleaning the wounds out with antiseptic, hissing and wincing every now and then. When everything I could reach was dealt with, and damn that took long, I began wrapping the worst ones with soft bandages, taking extra care to cover up all the wording so that someone didn't accidently see them if my shirt rode up. I miraculously had some ace bandage so that I could wrap my 3 broken ribs up, otherwise I would've had to go ask Chiron for some or even try to go out to the city, none of which I was too inclined to do, going to the city less so.

When I was finally finished wrapping up my wrists and ankles which were so badly wounded because of all the cuffs and ropes that were attached to them 24/7, I looked like a mummy. My face had some butterfly bandages on and my neck had bruising all around it from being choked, they would be the only things that everyone would see, as every other part of my body I would make sure to cover up at all times.

I threw all the bloodied gauzes away, dumped the towels in the wash basket and finally exited the bathroom, turning the lights off as I went. I went to my wardrobe to pull out a fresh pair of underwear, some soft trousers so that they didn't rub against my wounds and a long sleeved t-shirt that hung off my body. In fact, all my clothes hung off my body because of how horribly thin I was. I guess not being fed much or not at all had that effect on the body. I looked worse than Nico and he looked like one of the undead on a daily basis.

I carefully walked – limped- over to my bed and carefully lowered myself down onto it. I stretched out and laid over the covers with my head on the pillow. Gods it's been so long since I've laid on anything this soft. I fingered the bedspread and marvelled at the smoothness of it. I felt like I was floating on clouds. The harshness and unrelenting pain I had to undergo down there made me realise how much a soft bed and smooth covers could be taken for granted. I scoffed, of course there weren't any comfortable things there, it's meant to be hell, the deepest and darkest pit of hell, meant for the worst kind of monsters and for suffering. Where happiness didn't exist and even if it did it wouldn't be able to survive there for long. It had changed me, in more ways than one. I'm no longer the boy Annabeth called seaweed brain, nor the happy go lucky cousin out of all the Big Three children. I wonder if any of them could recognise me anymore, hell I wonder if any of them will even want to be near me and my broken spirit. My mom… oh gods what would my mom think if she saw me? If she saw the pain and emptiness in my eyes? She would be devastated, I couldn't do that to her, meaning she would have to stay away until I could learn to be around people again. She had Paul, she would be fine as long as she didn't actually see me.

I sighed again. I was hungry, starving actually, the last time they gave me anything to eat was 1 week ago, and even then it was barely enough to quell the aching in my stomach, which I was sure had shrunk to such a small size I wouldn't be able to eat anything solid for a while. I turned my head towards the window and saw that it was dark already. Wow had I laid here for so long that I didn't notice the day turn to night? That meant everyone was at the camp fire or still eating. Should I risk going out? I didn't want to see anyone… come to think of it no one wanted to see me, as it had been a while since I came in here and no one had come to look for me. Huh, guess I should have expected that…

Just as I thought that I heard a knock at the door.

"Percy? Are you in there? It's dinner time and we figured you'd be hungry… can we come in?" That was Thalia, she probably had Nico with her as well.

I sat up against the headboard before I called for them to come inside. They slowly opened the door and peeked in, it was dark as I hadn't turned the lights on before and it was probably hard to make me out on the bed.

"Hey Thals, Neeks, come in I won't bite. You can turn the light on if you want" I greeted.

They immediately zeroed in to the sound of my voice and nodded their heads. I saw Nico move towards the light switch before the room was flooded in bright light, brighter that I was expecting, which made me flinch and cover my eyes with my hands.

"Jeez, way to blind a guy." I grumbled.

They just laughed at me and I could hear two pairs of feet walking towards my bunk. When they were close they stopped and after a moment of hesitation I could feel my bed dip on my left, and then more walking and the bed dipping on my right. After I felt that I wouldn't go blind if I took my hands away, I lowered them to my lap and regarded the two people sat on my bed. One of the only ones I could count on to always have my back.

Nico have a small smile and Thalia pat my thigh gently.

"So, are you coming with us to dinner or not kelp head?" Thalia asked while nudging me gently.

"Yeah by the looks of it you could use some food in you, you're thinner than me!" Exclaimed Nico.

I gave a small chuckle at that, it was exactly what I thought when I put my clothes on.

"Yeah sorry, I guess room service in hell is not exactly up to par with my standards." I shrugged and smirked at Nico.

His face fell and I could tell he thought he'd somehow insulted me.

"Percy that's not what I-"

"Hey no worries, I know it's not what you meant, I was only joking." I cut off before he could apologise fully.

"Oh… ok" He nodded his head. He looked over at Thalia who just shrugged and stood up.

"Alright then, let's get this show on the road, one gourmet meal for Mr. High Standards." She said as she offered her hand for me to get off the bed.

I just shook my head.

"I'm not sure I want to go eat with everyone else… SHE might be there and I can't honestly stand the sight of that backstabbing bitch." Yep I went there. Old Percy never swore… new Percy however… had no qualms about it.

Nico looked wide-eyed at me and then Thalia, before settling on me again. Yeah he noticed.

"Uhm… yeah uh… well we can't stand the sight of her either but Percy you have to eat man, I can't imagine you ate anything decent in the last couple of days, never mind the last couple of months." Nico stated.

That was too true. I sighed and reluctantly threw my legs off the bed and slowly stood up, my hand on the wall for support. I groaned as the motion shifted my ribs and pulled at the cuts.

"Perce are you ok?" Thalia was there right in front of me, her hands ghosting over my body as if to check for damage. Which were of course hidden from sight.

"Yeah Thals, I'm fine, don't worry about it." I slowly limped towards the door, missing the glance exchanged between her and Nico. I turned back once I reached the doorway.

"So are you guys coming or what?" With that they both started following me out the door and towards the dinning pavilion. Well here goes nothing, I sarcastically thought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was written at the end of 2016, so this is hopefully better than the first 4 chapters. Tell me what you think! Leave me some love!!
> 
> Peace out!!


	6. Chapter 6

Percy's Pov

The walk to the dining pavilion took a long time; well, it seemed long to me since I was limping all the way there, but in reality it all took about 5 min. Nico and Thalia were on either side of me, seemingly waiting to see if I would stumble so that they could catch me before I fell.

I mentally rolled my eyes at this. Even if I did stumble, my stubborn pride wouldn't let them help me up.

Once we finally reached the entrance to the dining pavilion, I stopped and looked around. So far none of the campers had noticed our presence and I used that to my advantage to scan my eyes around the area, looking for two specific people: that backstabbing bitch and the one who thinks he's the hotshot. Once I certified myself that they weren't there, I proceeded to move towards the Poseidon table, all of us coming to a silent agreement that that's where we'd all sit.

Once the first camper saw me the dining hall quieted down, only to erupt in chatter and whispering a few seconds later. I sighed. I knew this would happen. It would be a good while before people stopped looking at me without turning to the person next to them and start whispering about me. Trying to figure out what happened to me, if I still had any screws left in my head. Those who turned against me trying to find some weakness to exploit.

I tuned them all out despite the fact that it was nearly impossible, focusing only on my tasks of getting my food, sacrificing a portion to my dad and sitting between Nico and Thalia at the Poseidon table. We ate in somewhat tense silence, as all the eyes around the dining pavilion were focused in us. I had barely eaten anything when I stood up to leave. All the stares where making my skin crawl, leaving me self-conscience.

Before I could leave Thalia grasped my arm, which pulled a wince from me since it was right were one of the wrapped wounds were. She quickly retracted her hand and shot me an apologetic look. I nodded that it was fine. She opened her mouth to speak.

"Percy-" But she was interrupted by the loud booming voice of that idiot Adrian.

"Ladies and gents, your hero is here" He puffed out his chest and lifted his chin up, all that was missing was him pounding his chest like some ape. Once he spotted me however, he sneered, something that made his already ugly face even more hideous all scrunched up like that. He marched over to where I was, getting into my personal space.

"So, Percy Jackson, the so called hero at this camp. You know, I bet everything you've ever done is a lie, to get you some attention. I'm the REAL hero at this camp, I single-handedly defeated 2 hellhounds and saved this camp." At this he looked up with a smirk and an air of superiority to glance around at the campers. "You fooled all these people into thinking you are actually worth something, but look at you, so weak, so fragile, I bet I could knock you over with a single breath." At this point I could both Nico and Thalia, plus some other campers I couldn't really see had stood up. I could see Nico reaching for his stygian iron sword out of the corner of my eyes, and Thalia had sparks shooting out of her fingers. I decided to do something about it before things got out of control, as much as I wanted to end the pathetic idiot in front of me, it wouldn't be wise to do so.

"Look man, back off before you get your ass served to you in a platter. You have no idea who you are dealing with." I shifted so that we were not so close together, because as much as I once could've dealt with this asshole with my arms tied behind my back and a blindfold, I was weak, my body was riddled with still open wounds and I was in no condition to take any more blows, let alone give any.

I saw his eyes fill with anger and saw his arm coming up to punch me. I prepared myself for the pain that would soon follow…but it never came. Nico had been faster and punched the jerk in the face, forcing him to stumble backwards holding his nose, blood dripping from in between his fingers. Damn that kid has a good punch for someone as skinny as him.

"You asshole! Look what you did to my nose! I swear if it's broken I am going to beat your goth ass so hard your next stop will be your fathers!" He swore while stumbling away, too much of a coward to actually engage in a fight against opponents he knows he cannot win against. After all it was 3 children of the big three versus a son of Ares that who didn't have any powers other than being extraordinarily stupid and arrogant.

Once he was out of sight I turned to Nico.

"Thanks man." I murmured, eyes downcast in shame at not even being capable of defending myself, instead just cowering away and waiting for the hit.

"Hey don't mention it Perce," He studied my face for a bit. "There is no need to be ashamed of it either man, he's an ass and you have no business proving yourself to someone that is not even one quarter of the person you are. We," he nodded his head towards Thalia, "have got your back until you get your strength back." Thalia nodded her ascent to this.

"Thanks but you don't have to, I can take care of myself."

"We know, but you can't stop us from being good friends." What Thalia said brought a small smile to my face. Friends… how I missed having those down in Tartarus.

I didn't say anything but by the looks in their faces they understood that I understood that I wasn't alone. With that we all walked out of the dinning pavilion, heading down towards the sea. Oh how I missed the water, the way it calls to me, soothes me. I couldn't help but walk into the water and submerge, all sounds from the above world gone, nothing but me and the creatures that inhabited the shores of the camp. It was peaceful. It was Elysium compared to the year of hell I had, without a moment of peace in which to gather myself and my thoughts.

I swam around and around the shore a few times, then went to towards the seabed and stayed there for a long while. I had no idea how long it was before I figured it'd be best if I just resurfaced before my friends dove in after me, despite their fear of another gods' domain. I swam up and broke the water more or less where I had dived in. I immediately spotted them sitting on a rock by the trees where sand met dirt and leaves. I walked out of the water, all dry, and made my way towards them. They looked up as I approached.

"Hey Kelp head, took you long enough. Are you good?" My only answer to her question was a nod.

"Ok, let's go then." I don't know why they stayed, they could've gone back to their cabins, it was, after all, pretty late and the harpies would be out soon.

"You didn't have to wait up for me guys." I sighed. They probably thought I needed a chaperone or something, it's not like I'm going to fall to the ground frothing at the mouth at any second.

"We know, but we missed you and we want to spend time with you. You…you were gone for over a year Percy and there was almost nothing we could do about it until Iris got that message to us. We had no way of knowing what was happening to you." She looked away for a minute, but not quick enough that I didn't see the glistening of tears in her eyes. "So yeah, you're stuck with us kelp brain." With that she lightly punched my shoulder, not hard enough to jostle my wounds though. I managed a grateful smile at that. I'm being stupid, of course they don't need to baby me, they just missed me. We are the closest we have to family and I would've been so torn up if one of them had had my fate instead of me.

"Alright, alright, enough with the bleeding hearts, how about we go back to our cabins before we get eaten alive?" said Nico with the faintest hint of amusement in his tone.

"Shut up Death breath, like you don't feel the same." Thalia huffed.

"That doesn't mean I have to go all mushy and touchy-feely like you just did. I have my own way of showing I care, so shut it Pinecone face." That, for Nico, basically meant he just declared his love for us. Before Thalia could retort and make things escalate, I quickly interrupted them.

"Girls, girls, please, you're both pretty, now can we go? Because I agree with Nico, getting eaten alive by harpies right after getting out of hell is not on my to-do list." I enjoyed the look of utter outrage on their faces at my first comment. I just shook my head and starting walking towards the cabins, a faint hint of a smile pulling up the corners of my lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed. Leave some love!
> 
> Peace out!!


	7. Chapter 7

Annabeth's Pov

I was walking towards the dining pavilion when I hear the commotion. I soon found out that it was Adrian trying to intimidate Percy; like that would ever happen. I hid myself in the shadows to observe the exchange, almost leaving my hiding spot when I saw the son of Ares lift his fist, only to be intercepted by the son of Hades effectively knocking him on his ass. I stifled a laugh as the bully retreated like a coward. At least he had enough brain cells to realise he was outnumbered and way outmatched.

Once the children of the big three had left the pavilion I emerged from the pillar I had sought refuge against. Some of the campers noticed me and I could tell that most of their faces twisted in revulsion and hate. Apparently the disdain the camp held towards me and the others whom had betrayed and cast away the son of Poseidon, still held strong even after he was returned to camp. Some of the campers who had voted in favour of his banishment soon after came to their senses and realised the mistake they had made. Pleading with the gods to reconsider his punishment. The Athena cabin and its occupants however, held strong to our opinion and refused to even speak Percy's name. We only came around when proof of Athena's deceit was shown to the council and the camp.

I now deeply regret not believing my own boyfriend over my mother. A goddess I barely saw, save for when she wanted something done or when in the middle of a battle. Percy, the goofy, kind-hearted kid who I fed ambrosia to on a spoon when he first came to camp. The first boy I truly loved after Luke's betrayal. I should've trusted that although extremely powerful, he would never kill anyone in cold blood. Especially someone as close to me as Jessica was. I also realise that he might never forgive me for my betrayal.

After I emerged from my thoughts I realised that I had already gathered my food and was now sitting at my table staring at it. I looked around the table and I could see some worried glances being thrown my way from my half-brothers and sisters. I started eating so that they wouldn't look at me like I was about to have a mental breakdown. I wasn't able to get much down though. The guilt that merely looking at Percy brought was all consuming. It clenched my gut and twisted my insides. My appetite hasn't been the same ever since my mothers' betrayal was revealed, hence why my cabin has been worried for me, because along with my appetite went my weight and the restless nights.

I pushed my plate away and stood. I saw Malcolm look up at me from his place at the other end of table. He sighed and stood up as well. I shook my head at him, indicating I wanted to be alone for the time being. He has been the most supportive of all my brothers and sisters. Encouraging me to eat when I couldn't even be bothered. He comforted me in the middle of the night when I couldn't sleep or had woken from a nightmare where Percy's tortured screams filled the darkness.

I swiftly walked away from the dining pavilion and went through the dirt road into the strawberry fields. It was summer, so the fields were filled with that sweet rich scent of millions of ripe fruit ready for harvesting. The wood nymphs were all sleeping or otherwise occupied and the wide stretch of field that reached until the very edge of camp territory was deserted. I walked through the rows of fruit, picking one up on the way, and reached my destination. The shed that the satyrs use to keep their tools. Outside was a small bench and that is where I have recently taken to spending my evenings. Alone.

The sky was clear as it always was because of the protection over camp. The stars where bright, brighter than they had been for a while. It seems that even Lady Artemis was happy now that the saviour of Olympus had been returned and that is saying a lot, since she and her group of hunters are formed on the common hatred for men. It seems the son of Poseidon was even a favourite of the man-hating goddess.

I looked down at the strawberry I was fiddling with in my hands. I plucked at the green stem on the top until it was essentially hairless. I pulled it apart in half and then again, until there was nothing left but the juices in my hands. I wiped my hands on my jeans and placed my head in my hands. As I thought of Percy and all he must have suffered down in Tartarus along with the emotional damage of having his friends betray him… a tear slid down my cheek and fell to the ground, making the brown earth turn darker. I watched as the ground slowly darkened drop by drop, soon creating a small circle of moist earth. I was silently sobbing by now. The regret and self-loathing was ever present.

Once my tears had dried and I could no longer produce another sob I wiped my face with the shoulders of my orange camp half-blood t-shirt. I stood up and slowly made my way back to camp, dragging my feet and generally not wanting to go back to the hubbub of camp.

As I was passing by the shore I saw them. Percy was in front of Thalia and Nico, who were apparently engaged in a friendly banter. I tried to change directions so that they didn't see me, but it was already too late.

Percy's Pov

We were trudging back to camp, Nico and Thalia had fallen into step behind me and I could hear them lightly arguing about my comment and once again, the whole sharing is caring problem they had going on.

I wasn't really paying attention to where we were going, although I do know we were headed in the right direction back to the cabins. I heard a rustle ahead and I saw her. Her once beautiful strawberry curls were looking more like straw and her stormy grey eyes where red and raw from crying. She had black circles under her eyes, indicating she hadn't really been sleeping well for a while. She was thinner than I remembered, then again, I have been gone for a while. She had this aura of anguish about her, like she was being tormented by something. I could see that she was trying to make it so we didn't see her, but I could tell when she realised that she had been seen by the way her shoulders stiffened.

I remembered that day, it seems like an eternity ago now, when she refused to even look at me as she voted in favour of me being banished to Tartarus for a crime I was being framed for. She was my wise girl, I thought we had more trust in each other than that. She seemingly didn't even bat an eye before believing her mother's lies over my pleas. It had been the worst torture ever, even worse than all the physical pain that Kronos and his army of monsters and titan friends had inflicted on me down in the pit.

Now she was a wreck. Could it be that she realised the error in her ways? Regretted her decision? I felt pity for her. She looked so distraught.

"What do you want daughter of Athena?" spat Thalia. The venom in her voice surprised me. Then again, I suppose I would be angry as well at the person who betrayed my cousin.

Annabeth flinched.

"I-I was just walking back to my cabin…" She muttered.

This was another change in her. The Annabeth I knew would have retaliated with some smart remark. Now she just accepted the abuse laid on her. Was it like this every day here at camp? No wonder she looks horrible; the emotional stress she was likely being put under daily could do a number on a person's mind. Don't get me wrong, I held no great love for her, but I wouldn't wish harm upon anyone, even though she is partially responsible for my suffering.

She looked at my briefly. Our eyes met for a moment before she turned around and sped up her pace to the Athena cabin.

"Are you guys always like this with her?" I asked, turning slightly so I could look back at them as we resumed our journey to our own cabins.

Thalia scoffed. "Yeah, generally, either that or we ignore her completely. She deserved it for being a back stabbing cow." She really made no effort in trying to disguise her utter distaste for Annabeth.

"Why?" After getting a glimpse of two outraged expressions, I elaborated. "I mean, I know what she did, believe me, I wasn't allowed to forget. But… does she really deserve this constant torment? I mean, did you see her? She's a wreck, I think you guys have put her through enough," I argued.

"Enough!?" exclaimed Nico this time. "Percy, if it wasn't for her, you wouldn't have been sent there, if she had pleaded your case, the gods might have taken the time to analyse what had happened and figured out that you had been framed and that it was Athena's plan all along to get rid of you!" He fumed.

I could see that he was trying to contain his anger. Thalia was simply nodding along to what he was saying. I sighed. Of course they would argue that point, and although it was true, I stick to my opinion that no one deserves that; and that is exactly what I told them.

"You are way too kind hearted for your own good kelp head. Some things aren't meant to be forgiven and forgotten." I continued pushing anyways.

"I'm not asking for you guys to forgive, because gods not even I have and I'm not sure I ever will. Much less forget about it. My body will give me ample reminders of that. All I'm saying is stop treating her like trash. If you want to avoid her, that's fine," I shrugged, "but stop giving her and the others, which I'm sure you all give the same treatment, a hard time."

I could see them thinking about it, and by the time I had finished speaking we had already reached the Poseidon cabin. I reached for the knob and stopped.

"Please? For me? I can't stand to see people suffering like that." I turned to look them both in the eye and knew I had won, by the looks of defeat on their faces after I begged them.

Thalia was the first to speak after a long-suffering sigh.

"Alright kelp head, we'll tone it down a bit, right?" She nudged Nico.

"Yes, right, we'll also spread the word…" I tilted my head, confused at that. Nico elaborated.

"It's not only Thalia and I who are terrorising the scum- ugh, I mean, betrayers. The others who stood by you also bug them."

"Alright, so please, tell them no more." I pleaded once more.

"We already said we would Perce, now go get some rest, you look worse than the dead, and I would know, I spend a lot of time with them." Nico joked.

I childishly poked my tongue out to them both before entering my cabin and shutting the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More chapters soon! Please leave some love!
> 
> Peace out!!

**Author's Note:**

> Hey all! So I'm already an author at FanFiction.net, with the same author name (lovepercy21). Please leave some love for me here and comment/review!!! Thanks!!!
> 
> Peace out!


End file.
